Copyright: Nintendo

Nintendo is stuck in a comedy of errors. The world’s oldest video game company faced more doom-mongering from elements among the games press last week when its former head of indie publishing, Dan Adelman, spoke about Wii U’s fumbled launch on ask.fm. Adelman — who recently left Nintendo of America after nine years due to continuing differences of opinion — claims just the name of Wii U “cut sales in half”.

Resident Evil isn't coming to Wii U, never mind RE7. Copyright: Capcom
Resident Evil isn’t coming to Wii U, never mind RE7.
Image: Capcom

Adelman has a point. Marketing confusion over Wii U continues to exist in the flighty casual gaming space Wii briefly dominated. That’s serious, but it isn’t the only problem Nintendo needs to deal with.

Nintendo ignores console gaming’s core. Wii U is conspicuously absent whenever huge third-party games like Assassin’s Creed Rogue are announced. Even Capcom’s Resident Evil HD will skip Wii U — despite stemming from a remake that appeared exclusively on Nintendo’s previous two consoles.

Yet Mario Kart 8’s stellar release at the end of May bolstered Wii U sales. Promised titles like The Legend of Zelda drummed up some hype at E3 a few weeks later. Summer has shown the gaming world that Wii U will not go silently thanks to first-party support. So why the fuss?

Nintendo represents a classic era for an entire generation of current and lapsed gamers reaching maturity. They’re starting to play games as families and it’s making them nostalgic. Rose-tinted expectations are perhaps higher for Nintendo than Sony or Microsoft.

It isn't just kids who are excited for Amiibo. Copyright: Nintendo
It isn’t just kids who are excited for Amiibo.
Image: Nintendo

By pre-empting its more powerful competitors, without even DVD playback, Wii U came across as backward before next-gen began. Uptake lags behind PS4, Xbox One and even 3DS. President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata committed to Wii U for the foreseeable future during an investor Q&A earlier this year, but confirmed the company was already developing new hardware.

When its home console and handheld divisions merged last year Nintendo stoked rumours Wii U would be abandoned. Iwata confirmed in February that future handhelds and home consoles might converge. The company later had to scupper media speculation it would reveal such a chimera at E3, dubbed Nintendo Fusion.

Snowballing success of 3DS and its gazumping of portable holdouts like Super Smash Bros. have helped cement Nintendo as manufacturer of choice for the dedicated handheld. Marketing and development for 3DS outweighs that for Wii U. It could soon be time for Nintendo to capitalise on this by fusing some familiar names.

2014 saw the 25th anniversary of Game Boy and an outpouring of sentimentality. This titan sold 118.69 million units to become one of the most successful consoles Nintendo has ever produced. Game Boy offered simple, straightforward hardware and a bevy of first and third-party games. Together with Nintendo Entertainment System it had edginess needed to compete in Western living rooms and playgrounds.

The James Brown of dedicated handheld gaming. Copyright: Nintendo
The James Brown of dedicated handheld gaming.
Image: Nintendo

Wii U’s strategy was to piggyback on a fleeting motion-control fad. Recapturing awareness of the Game Boy brand would send a clear message to consumers befuddled by Wii U and fire a heavy shot across Sony and Microsoft’s bow. With specs beyond those of PS4 and Xbox One, a next-gen Nintendo Entertainment System could serve as a home hub for its portable sibling.

By the time Nintendo launches any combined handheld and living room hardware, excitement for PS4 and and Xbox One will have slowed. A next-gen Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy tag team has the potential to generate serious press before launch, attract back AAA third-party names and even turn the heads of fickle hardcore gamers. Add cross-platform play and we could have another console war on our hands.

Featured image: Nintendo

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